XYZ: Better Tomorrow (A Swap Fic)
by sarcasticpno62
Summary: Dreams. Dreams of achieving world peace, of maintaining the beauty of the world, of forming better bonds with Pokemon, of becoming the strongest. A world where all of those coexist may be impossible. The story of the XYZ anime season told in a different direction - with Alain, Ash, Mairin, and Serena all swapped. All four aim to be only the very best in Kalos. Almost off hiatus!
1. Chapter 1

-Mairin-

Astrid gripped the Key Stone she had for an earring and yelled, "Absol, Mega Evolve!" Her blonde hair shook in the wind, which sped up as the rainbow energy of Mega Evolution was released. Her Absol seemed to grow wings out of its fur before facing the redhead before it.

"Wow! Never saw a Mega Absol before! Ready, Garchomp?" asked Mairin, glancing at the dragon beside her. She had cut her hair short prior to this, and styled it with two spikes, similar to Garchomp's two nubs on its head. She turned her gray hat, with a yellow star-like marking on the front, and planted her feet in the ground. Her amber eyes burned with a passion to battle, and she showed it. After all, she had barely scraped by with what money she had won to buy even affordable trainer clothes, like the ones they saw in Laverre City. Granted, that may have not been the best place to go shopping, but it was the closest at the time, and had lower prices than the Xerneas-forsaken Boutique Couture in Lumiose. She had a dark gray shirt with an orange parka, as they had planned to make a route towards Snowbelle eventually. She had the same shade of orange for her shorts, and their voluminous pockets contained the Pokemon she had caught, other than Garchomp.

"Keystone! Let our hearts open a path! Beyond Evolution, Mega Evolve!" It was a familiar phrase she had insisted on saying each time she Mega Evolved, even with Garchomp's obvious protests. However, it was a sort of catchphrase at this point, and nobody really cared.

An ethereal energy surrounded the Garchomp, and the familiar light, shrouded in many sparkling colors, signaled the Mega Evolution working. Spikes started to form along the edges of Garchomp's chest, and appeared on its legs as well. Its jaw stretched out, snapping as it got used to the sensation. Finally, to indicate the closing of the transformation, the rest of the energy melted the tips of its arms into the arm blades, making them humongous scythes. As soon as the light faded, before the two trainers were two Mega-Evolved Pokemon, raring for a battle.

"Mega Garchomp! So that's what it looks like!" mused Astrid. "Alright, ready? Absol, let's start off with a Future Sight!" Absol's horn started to glow purple, and sent chunks of psychic energy into the sky, storing them in some other dimension.

(NOTE: Pokemon can learn more than four moves. Why? It just seems impractical not to.)

"Now, Garchomp!" Mairin swept her hand to her side, commanding a single move. "Dragon Rush!" Garchomp obediently rushed forward, and tackled Absol, releasing the draconic energy coated on its body. Absol was pushed back, before standing up again.

"Sol!" it roared as a challenge to the ground-type dragon. At Astrid's command, it released an Ice Beam from its mouth, aiming at Garchomp.

"Dodge, then use Stone Edge!" commanded Mairin, and Garchomp used its scythe-like wings to leap up into the air, raising a series of stones from the ground. Absol leapt up on one of them, and called down the Future Sight from earlier, it crashing into a pillar of stone before a second burst of energy came through and hit Garchomp. Garchomp was sent flying back, using its scythes to anchor itself.

"Interesting tactic you've got there," noted Astrid. "You blocked part of the Future Sight with a Stone Edge. You planned farther ahead."

"All part of the game, sister," said Mairin as she smiled, lips pressed together thinly. "Earthquake!"

-Alain-

Much to the fire-type's dislike, water was splashed all over it as its trainer fell into the stream they had been trying to cross. Keyword, trying. The ground shook again, this time with much more force. Getting out of the stream to try and dry, the Charmeleon's trainer shook his head, clearing his mind.

Alain had been traveling for not three months, and had already evolved his Charmander into a Charmeleon. He grinned to his Charmeleon, laughing while running his hands through his black hair. "That's… unlucky."

Another tremor.

"Do you wanna go check that out?" asked Alain, straightening up and crossing the ankle-deep water. Although he was already fourteen, he had insisted to continue studying at school and working part-time for the professor. Charmeleon grunted in agreement.

After going through a bit more forest, the two came across the source of all the clash and tremor-two Mega-Evolved Pokemon.

"That's what the professor talked about! Remember, Charmeleon?" That was true, in the fact that Professor Sycamore had gone over Mega Evolution a few times. However, only the Beedrill they had at the greenhouse and refuge were capable of that, after he gave away his Gible. Alain was very curious about this newly discovered aspect of Pokemon, and wanted to learn more. Thus, he started on a journey with his Charmander.

The two's eyes darted back and forth between the Mega Absol, which had its energy from a small necklace, and the Mega Garchomp, which had its stone on the end of its tail, very discreetly clamped on. This was no regular battle, for sure.

-Mairin-

Hailing from the skies were the last of a Draco Meteor, dying down as the last of Absol's energy faded away. It transformed back into its regular form, its wings disintegrating. Garchomp transformed back as well, earning a well-deserved berry from Mairin.

"You're really good, Mairin," said Astrid as she called Absol back to her Pokeball. The two shook hands, and Mairin happily skipped away with Garchomp.

They arrived at a secluded area, with a waterfall adding to its aesthetic quality. Mairin rushed ahead, only to be caught by Garchomp's fin as she tripped over a rock. "Haha! Silly me!" Suddenly, she stopped splashing water with her hands as she heard a sudden twig snap. Garchomp's head swiveled around to the area of the noise, and Mairin smiled. "If you want a rematch, I'm welcome to do so."

"O-oh! I'm not…" Putting his hands up, a boy around Mairin's age, if not older, crawled out of his hiding spot in the bushes, along with a Charmeleon. "Uh, hi?"

Mairin put her hands on her hips. "You were watching our battle, weren't you? Pleased to meet you, I'm Mairin." She walked up to the two, not realizing how much shorter she was than Alain until offering her hand, then realizing she was only about chest-high to him.

"I'm Alain." The two shook hands, and their Pokemon each nodded in acknowledgement to each other.

"Did you just begin your journey?" Mairin nodded to the Charmeleon playing with Garchomp, the latter a bit distressed that it couldn't pick up rocks like how Charmeleon could. "Seems like you got a Kanto Starter."

"Y-yeah. That and a Weavile."

"Going well balanced, I see." Mairin laughed.

Alain promptly flushed. "How long have you been training?"

"Oh, I was probably around eight when I first met my Garchomp. Running amok at the Lumiose lab, you see. Professor Sycamore wanted me to take it instead of a regular starter." Mairin smiled at Garchomp, then gestured for him to come forward. It slowly did, abandoning a cutely stacked rock pile in the center of a stepping stone, though most of the work was Charmeleon's.

"Well, with that I'll be taking my leave." Alain stood up, about to take out Charmeleon's Pokeball to recall it, but was stopped by Mairin.

"Wait! Don't you want a travel buddy or something? I might be experienced, but it's lonely with no humans! No offense, Gar." Her affectionate name for Garchomp, a shortened version, made 'Gar' roll its eyes before nodding.

Alain thought for a while, the Charmeleon looking up at him and conveying the same message as an increasingly insistent part of his mind was saying - "Take her, she's a strong trainer. Any sort of danger, it's good to have a travel buddy. Buddy system." He sighed. "You can come, I guess. Though, I thought I would be saying that to you. I mean, you're stronger."

"And I'm still a human! Can't wait to become friends with you, Alain!"

This was the beginning of a fierce rivalry, whether it looked like it or not.

**A/N: Hello! Thank you for stopping by to read this Pokemon XYZ Swap Fanfiction! This starts off with the Mega Evolution Specials, then goes to the regular XYZ anime season's plot. Only Alain, Mairin, Ash and Serena have switched, along with a few minor characters. I'll be at the end of the chapters, giving thanks, notes, and whatnot. Thank you again!**


	2. Chapter 2 -- Mega Evolution, Part 1

-Mairin-

"So, let's see, Garchomp to Garchomp! Who has the better one?" asked Remo, a trainer Mairin ran into. Her fingers curled around the Gyaradosite, and she smirked towards Alain, in a 'stay-for-this-it's-going-to-be-good' expression.

Turning back to Remo, she threw her Pokeball up, releasing her Garchomp. "This better be good," she muttered.

"Don't worry, it will," reassured Remo in a confident voice. He released his Garchomp, which had beads around its neck. It roared to the other Garchomp. A cut in the fins signified it being a male, as opposed to Mairin's Garchomp's absence of one. Resting nestled in between two beads of the necklace was a Mega Stone, one that certainly looked like a Garchompite. "Now, enough talking! Garchoo, Mega Evolve!"

A familiar transformation took place, with the scythes, spikes and jaw. "Garchoo?" Mairin asked. "Cute name. Keystone, let our hearts open a path! Beyond Evolution! Mega Evolve!" After a few seconds, standing before them were two Mega Garchomp.

"And that's a cute saying you've got there," shot back Remo. "Let's get right into it! Dragon Claw!" Garchoo surrounded its left claw in energy, then rushed at Mairin's Garchomp.

"Use Dragon Claw as well, make it tidy!" Mairin countered with the same move. Her 'make it tidy' expression was a shortcut for saying, 'don't mess up or I'll never feed you another Mago Berry, this is an easy thing to do as we practiced and it comes to simple concentration.'

The two Garchomp clashed, before Mairin commanded it to use Stone Edge. "You use Stone Edge too, Garchoo!" The spikes shot out, harming both Pokemon.

Mairin racked her brain with ideas to combat Garchoo and Remo. In her panic, she shouted, "Fly up, then a Fire Blast!" Garchomp did as she told it, and ended up scorching the scales of Garchoo. However, when the smoke cleared, Garchoo was nowhere to be seen. Mairin cursed for a bit, then ordered, "Stay up in the air! Use Flamethrower to keep the battlefield clouded!"

Garchomp nodded, and started to scorch what they used as a battlefield, running over moss-covered stones and half-crumbled pillars. The dust that flew up made it hard for anyone to see anything. Mairin's Garchomp triumphantly flew up into the air, commanding an Earthquake.

The ground shook, and bursting out of the ground was Garchoo, hurt by the earthquake. However, Remo shouted, "Not done yet! Dual Chop!" Garchoo's eyes awoke with a new kind of fire, and took off into the sky where Mairin's Garchomp was. The two clashed in a Dragon Claw/Dual Chop duel, neither getting the upper hand.

Mairin rolled her eyes, she and Garchomp already getting tired of this. "You know what to do, Garchomp." Mairin's Garchomp roared at the sky, and pulled together the draconic energy needed for the humongous attack. Even from an outsider's point of view, it was clear that the energy flowing through the Garchomp's veins was enough to give it immense power. It inhaled, gathering what it needed for its most powerful attack, and then released it in a flourish, hailing down meteors from the sky onto Garchoo. Nothing survived the Draco Meteor. Sure enough, Garchoo revealed itself, but stumbled and fell, reverting the Mega Evolution back into its regular Garchomp form.

Remo recalled Garchoo, and smiled at the Pokeball for a moment, before turning back to Mairin. "H-how were you able to… you're just an amateur! There's no way you could harness it that well!"

"You're the amateur here. Work on your combination moves a bit more. You know what I mean when I say that."

Remo slowly looked up to Mairin, from his former gaze that was fixated on the floor. "I'm looking forward to a rematch."

Mairin pressed her lips together thinly. "As am I."

-Alain-

The two were back on the road again after little to no trouble navigating the road. Alain, although slightly annoyed at Mairin's stubbornness for her to travel with him. Of course, it was all a bit sudden - and Mairin had to go fetch him after 'accidentally' discovering a huge chunk of Gyaradosite. That was what led to the whole encounter with Remo and Garchoo. Alain didn't feel all that sorry - in fact, Mairin wanted to battle Mega Evolution trainers for reasons unbeknownst to him.

However, Mairin had sides to her Alain would have never found out about otherwise. She, for one, was horrible at cooking - so she resorted to either Alain's 'cuisine' or simply berry hunting. He also found out that her Garchomp was the tiny Gible Professor Sycamore gave away. Alain also told her about how he got a Kanto starter because it was brought to the center neglected, and wanted a partner.

"How do you do it?" Alain asked abruptly, which brought Mairin to a halt. "Mega Evolution, I mean."

"The professor didn't go over it with you?" asked Mairin. Alain shook his head - he only got the 'crash course' and not the full lesson. "Alright."

"Mega Evolution is a term that refers to our Pokemon 'powering up', I suppose. Three requirements! One, a Key Stone. Go on, touch it." Mairin gestured to the shimmering iridescent stone set in her bracelet - a Mega Ring, although it wasn't quite a ring. Alain touched it, and felt an overwhelming sense of power. "Oops, maybe that wasn't a good idea."

Quickly snatching her Mega Ring back, Mairin continued on. "Well, anyway, second requirement! A Mega Stone corresponding to a Pokemon's type. That's why I had to memorize so many types of gemstones and Mega Stones - only certain Pokemon can Mega Evolve. I don't know why, either. Good thing Gar's one of them."

'Gar' let out a contented rumble, and started straying away for more Mago berries. Alain warned it. "Don't go far," he said. Garchomp abruptly sniffed, turned its tail, and shot into the sky. "Well, that answers that."

Mairin laughed. "The third thing needed is a strong bond. I mean, I've been with Gar for years now, I'm pretty sure our friendship level is through the roof. The professor and I studied it for a few months - and the way the energy seems, it's like-" Mairin was interrupted with a sound that vaguely resembled rock crumbling and falling.

The two slowly peeked around the bend of a trail, and saw a petite olive-colored Pokemon feeding on the dirt. "Tell me why it's eating dirt, Mairin," said Alain, not taking his eyes off of it. "Please tell me."

"That's how they turn into Pupitar, silly!" exclaimed Mairin, and then lowered her voice so that she wouldn't scare it off. "The thing is, they're only supposed to be in Terminus Cave. We're going to pass that soon, but that still leaves the question… why?"

The Larvitar in front of them was eating like there was no tomorrow. With its nubs for hands, it stuffed dirt and ravenously chewed through a foot of it in the thirty seconds they were watching it. "No wonder they're rumored to destroy entire mountains," Alain commented.

"_Eat_ entire mountains, not destroy," corrected Mairin. "I don't want to get in its way, but it seems like I have to-" Mairin was again interrupted, this time by Alain.

"I want to catch it," was all he said, before releasing Charmeleon quietly. Its loud roar didn't faze the Larvitar in the slightest, and it continued on its mountain-destroying path unhindered.

Mairin rolled her eyes and muttered, "Good luck with that."

Alain decided to ignore her remark. "Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!" Charmeleon leaped out of its hiding spot and sent the waves towards the Larvitar. It jumped out of the way, before continuing to eat, almost smugly. Alain frowned for a bit. "Use Fire Fang!" Larvitar didn't bat an eye to the attack, and simply kicked dirt into the fire-type's face.

When that didn't work, Alain started to clench his fists. Mairin, seeing this, inched over to him. "You can't always catch something with brute force," she noted. "Do you have any moves that can throw off its speed or defense? That's usually the way I go."

"In fact, I do. Charmeleon, use Scary Face!" Charmeleon snarled at the Larvitar, who took the time to bat an eye to its attacker. It immediately flinched, and whimpered. It gathered itself, but was considerably slower when forming its Chip Away, aiming for a chip in between a scale from its neck to the body. Charmeleon countered it with an Ember. Then, it launched forward with a Fire Fang, making the Larvitar stumble.

"You know what to do now," said Mairin. "Catch it before it recovers!"

Alain nodded, and threw a Heal Ball. The hot pink sphere hit the Larvitar head-on, the pink sphere harmlessly bouncing off of its skull. The ball encapsuled the body of the Larvitar, and shook for a few times before blinking, signaling a successful capture. Alain walked over to the Heal Ball and picked it up, a small smile growing across his face. Mairin came out of the hiding spot behind the bend in the trail, and nodded proudly. "And that's how to capture a Pokemon!"

This broke the mood, however. Alain glanced back to Mairin, sighing in frustration. "I already captured a Sneasel a while back and _evolved_ it, don't you remember me telling you? You even saw it!"

Mairin shrugged. "It took _me_ a while to get. You'd think I'd get the hang of it, being the professor's assistant and all, but…"

"Mairin, we were _both_ the professor's assistant at different times," pointed out Alain. "Besides, I'd want to go to the Pokemon Center, in case Larvitar is still a bit hurt from the battle."

"You're right, that might be a good idea."

At the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy took the Heal Ball. "Thank you! I'll take care of it." Alain smiled politely, and then turned back to Mairin, who was already walking out of the Center.

"Woah, where are you going?" asked Alain, barely catching up with the Trainer. "I thought we were traveling together."

Mairin turned back to him, a confused look on her face. "But, I told you I was going to go towards Siebold's restaurant." It was at that moment that Alain realized that he had no clue what had happened from the time he caught Larvitar to handing its Pokeball over to the Nurse. "Were you listening at all?"

Alain shook his head.

"Well, I suppose that I could stay back for a little. Do you want to have a battle to pass the time?" Mairin dug out a Pokeball, which wasn't Garchomp's Ultra Ball - it was a Net Ball.

"You're on."

~~~  
**A/N: Hi! I'm back, posting this chapter right after the last. I only have received one review, so I will be replying to that.**

**Review 1 (for I don't like putting usernames): Haha joke's on you - I never said I wasn't an Advancedshipper! No hate thrown towards any of the other ships, however. The interactions between Serena and Ash in this story alone will be purely platonic, don't worry. I'll also throw in more references to the other regions, including Hoenn! You have no reason or foundation to build this Amourshipping-derogatory statement onto a review for my story, especially for one that hasn't introduced Ash yet.**

**UPDATE: Thank you for all the kind reviews! I'm struggling a lot with continuity, but I hope that this will tide you over for now before I get the hang of it! Ash WILL be in Serena's role, and vice versa. Serena will have a completely different team, and as you can tell Mairin doesn't have Chespie or Bebe. I will incorporate this later into the story.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Kyrss,**

**Ann**


	3. Chapter 3 -- Mega Evolution, Part 2

-Mairin-

"_WEAK!" exclaimed her rival trainer, before he abruptly turned and went on his way. "You think that a Combee will be strong? I don't care if it's rare! A Bug-type is still a Bug-type!"_

_Mairin was on the ground, tending to her hurt Combee. Garchomp was fixing up the battlefield, where her rival trainer would have cleaned up. "That's not true… Any Pokemon can become strong!" Touching her Key Stone, she sighed. "But is it really the Pokemon's fault? I'm supposed to be a good trainer." Garchomp flew back, muttering unhappily. It had no more energy to battle, but it still could walk around with her until they reached a Pokemon Center. At least she had a Kirlia - it could teleport her, she assumed._

"_Combee, return. You did great. We'll beat everyone at the Kalos League. We'll climb to the top… all of us."_

"Combee, no!" The Bug type laid before her on the ground, its exceptional red color muddled by the dust. The Charmeleon before it roared triumphantly. Mairin returned her shiny Combee to the Net Ball, and sighed. "Well, that was a great battle. You deserve a good rest."

Alain and Charmeleon high-fived - or at least how much they could high-five, what with the claws. "Great job, Charmeleon!" Alain then went up to Mairin, smiling. "That was an awesome time we had. Let's do it again sometime."

Mairin stared back with an unreadable expression, before eventually reciprocating Alain's smile and shook his hand. "Yep! Now, we can head to the restaurant!"

"What is it with you and restaurants?"

"You'll find out."

Alain didn't like the tone she took with that - she almost always said things transparently. "Larvitar healed. Let's get on with it."

-Alain-

"Is _this_ your idea of a special?!" asked Alain as he stood off to the sidelines, dumbfounded at the two Mega-Evolved Pokemon before him. Mairin and a member of the Elite Four, _the _Siebold, were duking it out with Garchomp and Blastoise, both having Mega-Evolved prior to the first move.

Mairin and Alain had walked into the restaurant, and asked for Siebold. At this, Alain was struck with awe, that Mairin would simply walk in to _his _five-star restaurant and ask for him, that easily. He had looked between the two trainers, not sure what to expect. That led to the current situation they were all in, with two Pokemon battling in the humongous battlefield - that which would rival a Gym Leader's - in the back of a restaurant!

"Hydro Pump!" yelled Siebold, and a gush of water tore out - literally _tore_ out - of the large cannon Blastoise sprouted from the shell. It seemed to barrel into Garchomp, who was then commanded by Mairin to fly up. The Mega Garchomp swooped past the Blastoise, and then did a 180 and turned back, catching the Blastoise's shell in between two of its claws. It then formed a Dragon Claw, at Mairin's command.

Alain glanced down at Charmeleon. Just what was Mairin planning to do? Blastoise had withdrawn its head into its shell to perform a Rapid Spin. Then, just as it was going to spin out of the Garchomp's grasp, it was hurled using the energy of the Dragon Claw. The shell hit the ground with tremendous force.

Mairin and Garchomp had an equally surprised face when the Blastoise's limbs and head drew out of the shell unharmed - not in the slightest. She frowned for a moment before ordering Garchomp to perform a Slash attack directly on the Blastoise. However, the Water-type was far from down - it sent out a Dragon Pulse that hit Garchomp directly. It stumbled for a moment.

"Mega Blastoise's ability is Mega Launcher," explained Siebold. "When Mega Blastoise uses moves such as Dragon Pulse, you'll see it's quite strong indeed. A delicious combination. Now, Skull Bash!"

"Use the momentum! Throw it against the wall!" yelled Mairin, frantically searching for more tactics to use. However, Siebold didn't seem fazed in the slightest. As Blastoise was thrown towards the wall, Siebold commanded it to use Hydro Pump. The water jet propelled it up and over Garchomp's head.

Siebold raised a hand with a dooming sense of finality. "Time to wrap this up. Dragon Pulse!"

"Draco Meteor!" exclaimed Mairin.

The dust cleared, and both Pokemon were still standing - even with two equal direct hits! Alain was certainly amazed by the strength of the two Pokemon.

"You've impressed me," noted Siebold. "I've never seen a trainer this resilient in a long, long time." Blastoise nodded.

Mairin looked towards Garchomp, then back to Siebold. "I'm honored you think that of me. Garchomp?" The dragon grunted in agreement for a response.

Siebold commanded Blastoise into a Flash Cannon. The Water-type blasted the strong burst of steel into Garchomp's chest. Garchomp hissed in pain, but managed to burrow under the ground to avoid receiving the full extent of the blast.

"Your Garchomp… strong indeed." Siebold voiced exactly what Alain was thinking as he nodded in respect. "This time for good! Use Hydro Pump! Do not hold back!"

The Hydro Pump sent the rocks of the battlefield flying - and Garchomp. With that, it had no more strength to continue fighting. Mairin and Garchomp, the strongest duo Alain had known up until that point, had succumbed easily to Siebold of the Elite Four in less than three minutes.

Siebold walked up to the two, Mairin tending to Garchomp's wounds. "You put up an impressive fight. I'm amazed by your power."

"We were still no match for you," said Mairin as she looked up. "We'll get stronger, and take you on again."

The Water-type trainer laughed. "I'm going to be waiting for a rematch. I can't wait until we can battle again."

-Mairin-

Mairin crossed her arms, looking at the chemistry happening between Alain and his Charizard, almost perfectly in sync in everything. Honestly, it was almost like with her and Garchomp - well, save for the fact that Garchomp couldn't really do anything involving fingers.

A Slash attack fell a nearby tree. Charizard leapt back, as well as Alain, and he commanded it to burn down a select few trees with an Inferno. However, when subsequent trees caught on fire, Charizard had to extinguish it with a Wing Attack - like it did countless times before when they were practicing. Alain exchanged a few words with Charizard before both of them headed back to where Mairin was.

"I still can't believe your Charizard just… evolved. Out of the blue at one of our sparring sessions." Mairin scratched the back of Charizard's neck, earning a contented rumble. "You know, sprouting wings is a bit sudden, I think Gar here may be the tiniest bit jealous."

"Gar!" Garchomp roared, as if to say, "The thought of it!" Another one of Mairin's Pokemon were out, her Gallade, and the one that sparred with Charmeleon when it evolved. It tried its best to act suave and lean up against the tree with its arms crossed, but mostly failed due to poking itself with its sword extensions. Mairin had evolved him when showing Alain her Dawn Stone.

"I can't believe it myself either, sometimes," replied Alain. "Maybe we should take a break from this for now, and come back to it later." He walked to where they cleaned up camp, ready to open up a package of the berries he brought along. Popping one into his mouth, he looked up at Mairin. "Where are we going next? You went to Snowbelle, after all."

"I have to go to Hoenn. Who knows, we might find a Charizardite there!" Mairin skipped along, down the route. "I'm gonna go to the Pokemon Center up ahead. Catch up with me later!" Garchomp, not wanting his trainer to get ahead of herself, flew down beside her.

At the Pokemon Center, Mairin and Alain turned over their Pokeballs to the Nurse Joy there. They started to lounge around on the couch, before Mairin abruptly stood up. "While we're waiting… do you want to have a battle with one of your other Pokemon?"

"Sure," replied Alain. When Mairin first suggested battling each other to gain more experience, Alain had stuttered out a definite no, but eventually relented. His reasoning was that Garchomp was much more trained than any of his Pokemon, and that he'd rather not. However, upon learning that Mairin had other Pokemon, he couldn't refuse. That led to their first battle - Weavile versus Kirlia. Then, it was many other members of both their teams until they evolved.

They walked out to the battlefield, and Mairin tugged on her hat as she reached her side, fingers brushing over her remaining Pokemon. "Alright! Amaura, I choose you!"

The young Pokemon brought out roared a challenge. Its shimmering hide brought out many of its translucent features, such as its crest. Mairin had revived the Amaura in the same city that she wanted to travel to - some place in Hoenn.

"Going with Amaura, I see. Now, let's go, Pawniard!"

The Sharp Blade Pokemon appeared in a flash, roaring a challenge back to the Amaura. Pawniard was caught right after the two had left Laverre to go to Snowbelle.

"Alright, Amaura! Let's start this off with an Iron Defense!" commanded Mairin, and Amaura began to glow the same sheen of silver as Pawniard's arms.

"Use Fury Cutter!" The Bug-type move coated the Steel-type's blades, and it rushed forward, striking Amaura head-on. "Again!"

With each successive hit, Amaura began to weaken. Mairin pressed her lips together, then shouted, "Rock Tomb!"

"Rock Tomb?!"

Indeed, the usually underused move by Amaura came in much use there, and even though it didn't cause as much damage as the head-on attack by Alain's Pawniard via Fury Cutter, it did bury the relatively small Pokemon under heavy rocks, reducing its movement. "Bulldoze!" shouted Mairin.

Amaura began to stomp on the ground, shaking most of the earth around the battlefield, and even letting a few rocks loose. Both Mairin and Alain had to regain their footing, but Pawniard, already under the rocks, began to take more damage with each passing super-effective stomp.

"Alright! Finish this off with-"

"Not if I have anything to do with it! Metal Claw, do it now!" Pawniard slashed itself out of the rocks, and rushed forward with another sharpened claw poised to strike. Mairin was surprised at this tactic, her eyes widening.

Amaura was hit head-on. Pawniard started to push back, first attacking with a Metal Sound and then hitting it with a Low Sweep. Pawniard, with its attack superior to Amaura's defense, had the advantage.

"Okay, Amaura! Use-" Her command was cut off by the ringing of the signal, signifying her Pokemon being fully rested up and healed. "We'll save this for later, Alain!"

"Can't wait." The two bounded inside, thanking Nurse Joy before continuing on their journey.

-Hoenn Region-

It was a rather hazy day in Hoenn indeed. Mist clung to the ground, as if it was scared to leave. As a result, visibility was decreased sharply. This was synonymous with a very bad day for Mairin. She tried to stumble about, with either Alain or Garchomp keeping an eye on her at all times, even when she was on flat land. However, even with all that supervision, Mairin still managed to disappear and she ended up sliding to the bottom of a slope, where she was jammed into the fork of a tree. In the position she was in, she could barely touch the buttons on her Pokeballs, and so Alain had to pull her out. Again.

After grabbing her by the arms and pulling her out of the painful position, she thanked him quickly before turning back to where they were going - to meet who Mairin called a 'very important person'. Mairin let Garchomp out, and they continued on their way, Alain shrugging as Charizard was let out as well.

"Do you want to scout from the air?" Alain had asked. Since both of them had winged Pokemon, it wouldn't have been hard to look for whoever this important person was. However, Mairin had just shook her head, explaining that it was too misty and would only prolong their expedition.

Mairin was looking at her communicator at the moment. Alain and Charizard were aimlessly walking around, occasionally using Flamethrowers to clear some mist away. However, Mairin didn't look at where she was going and found herself at the bottom of a slope, this time her leg stuck between two rocks jutting out of the ground.

Before Alain could haul her out and inspect her ankle, though, she was assisted and was freed from the rocks. It wasn't Garchomp, however - it was a human, definitely. Garchomp had sharp claws at the ends of its arms, while the hands that helped her were at least vaguely human. She tried to thank this mysterious helper, but couldn't see his face until he walked closer in.

It was the face of a legend, _Steven_ Stone.

-Mairin-

Words didn't describe what Mairin was feeling at the moment. She ran into _the_ Champion of Hoenn by chance, in the middle of a secluded misty area?

Steven reminded Mairin of Alain in a few ways - his kind smile, mesmerizing blue eyes, the completely black suit. However, what stood out was his silver hair, which instead of making him look older, gave him a much younger look than expected. After all, most of the Champions were youthful and still bounded about, though still mature and commanding when need be. A powerful energy seemed to radiate from him, and Mairin was able to pinpoint the source - a Key Stone, pinned to his jacket.

"Up you go," said Steven as he helped Mairin up. "Now, that wasn't hard. Watch where you're going."

"Thank you," Mairin managed to say. "I'm Mairin. This is Gar, my Garchomp!" Garchomp, who affected a concerned look for Mairin, immediately put on its 'serious' face once it realized who it was in the presence of. Mairin, however, had a cheerful attitude about it. "We come from the Kalos region."

"The Kalos region?" repeated Steven. "Well, then, you've come a long way to be in Hoenn now. I'm Steven. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands, before Mairin blushed. This _was_ a Champion, and her suspicions were just confirmed.

Alain skidded to a stop, concerned for Mairin. "Are you okay?" he asked. His eyes drifted between her, Garchomp, and Steven. "Mairin, who's this?"

Steven waved a hello to Alain, a bit confused at first at how Mairin seemed to know who he was, and Alain didn't. It was obvious, from the look on his face to the amount of respect that he showed - not that it mattered, of course. For a Champion, Steven was known to be very humble about his position. "I'm Steven. Nice to meet you. Are you traveling with Mairin?"

Alain didn't know what to make of it, but nodded. "I'm Alain. Also from Kalos." Charizard grunted, slightly unhappy with no mention to it, but didn't press further.

Mairin looked between the two, wincing at how the greeting was slightly tense. She decided to try to diffuse it by asking a question. "Steven, isn't that a Key Stone?"

"Yes, it is," replied Steven. "Why?"

Mairin got straight to the point, and held up her left wrist, exposing the Mega Ring. "Let's battle."

Steven looked around for a moment, then sighed. "I would decline, as I am usually quite busy, but… I suppose one battle won't hurt."

Mairin smirked. Against the Champion of Hoenn? This was going to be good.

Steven was impressed at how much pressure his shiny Metagross was put under - after all, his battles after becoming Champion were rather boring and easy to win, save for those against fellow Champions or the Elite Four. Challengers were stumped with simple tactics that he used, but many he used against Mairin were thwarted easily.

Not to say that he didn't have many more advanced ones up his sleeve. He and Metagross were far from down.

"Use Dragon Claw!" commanded Mairin. Garchomp rushed forward and scraped its Dragon Claw across Metagross's face. However, Metagross countered with a simple Psychic, and pushed Garchomp back.

"Use Flash Cannon!" said Steven. Metagross started to glow, and unleashed the steel-type attack, blasting it directly towards Garchomp. "Follow up with an Agility!" When the dirt that flew into the air upon the impact settled down, Metagross was nowhere to be seen.

Mairin, realizing this, started to find herself in a compromised position. "Garchomp! Use Dig!" As she said this, she punched the ground with her right hand, as if she were the one digging. When she pulled back up, she found herself with a fistful of grass. Inconspicuously letting them go, she saw the wind blowing to the right, which was around the place where Metagross was.. An idea started to form in her mind, as she felt Gar tunneling through to attack the Steel-type.

"Okay, break through with a Dragon Claw!" Garchomp roared as the momentum from springing from the ground combined with the wind made it slam its Dragon Claw right into Metagross's face. Steven, however, didn't seem to be concerned at all.

A smirk grew across the Champion's face, and Mairin knew she had done the wrong tactic. "Throw it."

Metagross swung the Garchomp around, and with nothing for the Garchomp to hang onto because of its lack of hands, it was easily thrown into the path of the wind. The wind was like a torrent, and Garchomp scraped by rocks and smaller pebbles, some coating its contrasting and colorful hide. Steven didn't stop there, however. Metagross then proceeded to lift up Garchomp using a Psychic, and while it fell used Meteor Mash.

Mairin had come up with a new tactic, however. "Fire Blast!" Garchomp excitedly released a plume of flame, it enveloping the Meteor Mash and Metagross along with it. "Alright! Now, Draco Meteor!"

Metagross wasn't going down yet, however. As Garchomp prepared to unleash the powerful attack, it used its Agility again to crash into its opponent, breaking its concentration.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Meteor Mash!"

The two behemoths of Mega Pokemon clashed in midair. When they were more than five meters apart, they would fly away only to slash, punch, and crash into each other again. They exchanged blows midair, flying around the battlefield.

However, that was all interrupted by a rogue Flamethrower, coming from neither Metagross nor Garchomp. From the way the two immediately split up once they saw the Flamethrower, and judging by the intensity and sheer force it came hurtling at the two, both trainers knew how devastating it would have been, _had_ the fiery attack hit both of them.

"Do you two mind me interrupting your battle?"


	4. Chapter 4

-Mairin-

Lysandre Fleur-de-lis and a fully grown male Pyroar jumped to the ground, having dropped from an unknown height. Of course, Lysandre had always appeared to her and her cohorts in a flourishing and flamboyant spectacle many times. From flower-shaped Fire Blasts to dropping from helicopters, the man really had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Flames tickled the edge of his hair, although not quite catching it on fire. How this happened was a mystery to Mairin. Maybe he was obsessed with Flash Fire. Two narrowed blue irises shone through his eyes, and were mature while not exactly threatening. A smile was plastered on his face, although Mairin knew the man could be quite intimidating and even scary at times when mad. He was dressed in all black - what was it with trainers and black? - with a black jacket over a red undershirt, and black pants.

"I apologize for so rudely interrupting your battle." Lysandre turned to Mairin with an unreadable expression, his smile falling once facing the shorter trainer. "You've got nerve, challenging the Champion of Hoenn."

Mairin bowed her head. However, Alain had a completely different reaction. "_That's_ Hoenn's Champion?!" He scrambled for words, but only came up with an "Uhhh…."

Lysandre paused for a moment, as if Alain's interruption was rude enough for him to be offended. "Mairin. Although I know you enjoy battling others, is it not rude to stumble across a Champion and simply challenge them? You are lucky this is not your mother region, surely people would see had you challenged Diantha." He turned to Steven, finished with reprimanding Mairin like he had done many times before. "I apologize for her impertinence. You _are_ Steven Stone, correct?"

Steven nodded slowly. "Yes, but who are you? What has this trainer done wrong to me?"

"I am Lysandre, the chief executive officer of Lysandre Labs in the Kalos region. This young trainer works under me." Mairin sheepishly waved hello. Alain stood off to the side, glancing at Mairin out of the corner of his eye while leaning against Charizard. "Come now, I have a few things to discuss with you."

The few moments following that were a blur to Mairin, but she did remember Alain, very out-of-character, rush up to Lysandre and ask, "So that means you're the guy Mairin talks to on the Holo-Caster?"

Steven looked like he was trying his best to hold back his laughter, as if this was 'cute' at all, but Mairin was too shocked to respond, or even register, what he just said. Alain immediately stepped back, already intimidated by his unnatural height, and the Pyroar growling at him that still wasn't recalled yet.

"Well then. Who might you be?" A smirk started to grow across Lysandre's face, and Mairin knew that Alain wouldn't be able to get out of answering him - and answering to Lysandre could sometimes be quite nerve-wracking, even with a simple yes or no question.

However, Alain seemed to gather his thoughts. "My name's Alain. I'm traveling with Mairin." Of course, it was totally voluntary, and he could have left her before she went to Hoenn, but he argued that it would be an example of broadening his horizons. Mairin found it strange that she was the one who insisted on traveling with him, yet he was the one trying to find reasons to keep traveling with her, even though both of their teams were nearly complete. There would be hardly any need to travel together, as the journey to becoming a Pokemon Master usually involved personal growth and self-identity.

"I wasn't aware that Mairin had a sidekick," stated Lysandre, obviously amused. "She always seemed very independent."

"I'm not!" shouted Mairin, a bit out-of-turn. "I mean, I could use travel buddies - I mean, partners - sometimes. Gives some extra variety to my journeys, you know." It was certainly unusual for Mairin to be talking on the same 'level' as Lysandre was, as if they were both coworkers. Mairin knew better - Lysandre gave her a purpose for her to keep on battling.

In an act of trivial defiance, Mairin stuck out her tongue to her boss and walked away, sliding down another slope. This time, Gar flew down as Alain sighed and started to make his way to Mairin as well. She could see an upside-down Lysandre and Steven conversing.

Gar made quick work of the shrub she was stuck in. She was helped back up by Alain, and dusted off her clothes, now sprinkled in a brown layer of dirt. "Well, to answer your question, since Lysandre didn't, yes. He's the guy who keeps annoying me over the Holo-Caster." Gar picked up her Mega Ring, which had slipped off. It tossed the bracelet across its two claws, playing with it like a toy. "Gar, don't lose that."

"So you don't like to talk to him?" asked Alain, curious about her relation to Lysandre Labs. It was renowned for the creation of the Holo-Caster, which was now widespread amongst Kalos. Professor Sycamore started to hand them out along with the Pokedex, and was currently looking for a way to integrate both into one machine, as a side project to his main one on Mega Evolution.

Mairin shook her head. "No, not like that. It's like how I say you constantly pester me. I mean, it's like a _figurative_ speech."

Alain nodded slowly. "Figurative. Got it." All four of them - Mairin, Garchomp, Alain, and Charizard, started to make their way up the slope. "How long have you known him?"

Mairin smiled. "Ever since I stopped being the professor's assistant," she replied. "I've been working under him ever since I could Mega Evolve."

"_Pokemon _Mega Evolve," reminded Alain. Although he knew the message conveyed as well as she did, it didn't hurt to have a reminder every once in a while. "What made you start working under him?"

Mairin stayed silent on that question. She had first met Lysandre when she was looking for Ampharosite for the professor, along with trying to find her own Garchompite to Mega Evolve Gar. She had lost a one-on-one fight with Lysandre, and he took the Ampharosite. However, he then offered to give his Mega Ring and a Garchompite in return for her service to Lysandre Labs. That was where she met Aliana, Bryony, Celosia, and Mable, none of which she was really close to. They, after all, were scientists and not powerful trainers. Mairin and the Four Musketeers (as she liked to call them, swapped interchangeably with goofballs) had different roles in the same company.

Mairin, however, was much more than a simple grunt or security guard. In fact, if Lysandre Labs were a Pokemon team, she would be the powerhouse. That led to her joining the actual Team Flare, researching the energy of Mega Evolution - not unlike what she did in Professor Sycamore's lab.

A sharp pain pierced her right shoulder - and she staggered. Gar affected an apologetic expression. "I know it was you," hissed Mairin. "Why?" However, with a quick look around her surrounding area, she realized that Steven, Lysandre and even Alain were leaving her behind. She started to jog up to them, asking what she missed.

-Alain-

Alain scrolled and tapped a few buttons on his new Holo-Caster, bored out of his mind. While the 'adults' (not including Mairin) were talking, he was off to the side, showing Charizard some entertaining videos he downloaded. The newest model of the Holo-Caster, according to Lysandre, could access the internet, making everything so much more accessible.

After laughing a little while seeing a video of a Fennekin knocking over a dining table, he closed the Holo Caster. "Ugh, I'm so bored. You, Charizard?"

Alain's Charizard, seemingly having entered its 'teen' years, sniffed, and shrugged. Usually, it would fly around, with something in mind to burn, char, scorch, or tear to pieces. However, that wasn't possible with a few Aron moving blocks around at the place Steven was showing Lysandre and Mairin. He wasn't really interested in what they were conversing about - until he heard the term _legendary Pokemon._

Legendary Pokemon… a fascinating term for every single Pokemon Trainer. It meant a one-of-a-kind, rarely seen and ultra powerful Pokemon. Of course, there were some Pokemon who could combat them on the same level, one-on-one, non-legendary to legendary. However, they were few and far in between.

Alain was pretty sure that some of them didn't even exist in Kalos.

Xerneas and Yveltal. Swearing upon their names were supposed to be an unbreakable oath, but it slowly turned into an old saying. Even Mairin would occasionally mutter, "This Xerneas-forsaken Pokemon Center," or "Speak of Yveltal." Though the actual divine Pokemon was Arceus, many regions went by their own Legendaries, Alain had found out. It was what differentiated them.

Alain walked up to Mairin, arms shoved inside his jacket pockets. "What's this about legendaries?"

Mairin turned back to him, an almost condescending expression on her face. She was a head shorter than him, and possibly a few years younger - and she still somehow pulled off that frightening look. Mairin didn't often look that way. "We're looking at a myth, and we think it might be related to Mega Evolution. Have you heard of Legendaries Mega Evolving?"

Alain shook his head.

Lysandre turned around, smiling. "It's two tablets about 'opening a gate'. We shall go there at once."

As it turned out, the place Steven had led them to was only a short distance away from this 'gate' mentioned. Two tall stone pillars, with engravings decorating them until the very top. Both of them broke off into crumbles near the top, implying that they may have been taller. An ornate mandala was engraved into the sort of platform they were standing on.

The three 'adults' were murmuring amongst themselves, but one thing that continued to be said was the word 'giant rock'. It seemed to be of importance to Mairin, Lysandre, and Steven.

"Put your hand on the stone pillar, Mairin." Steven had done the same, looking back to her. His Key Stone seemed to be shimmering brighter. Mairin nodded, and pressed her hand up against the pillar, expecting a rainbow light to appear before them or something out of the ordinary, as what happened usually during Mega Evolution.

That was when everyone's thoughts were proven wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

-Mairin-

Mairin frowned. She lifted her hand from the pillar, then tapped it. Punched it. Knocked on it. Eventually, Lysandre started to take notice too. "What's going on, Mairin?" he asked, his voice monotone.

Nothing had happened when she touched the pillar.

Of course, everything was still in the unknown, but it was unresponsive. At all. There was no flash of light, or the waves of energy rushing through her as if she were Mega Evolving (Gar), and certainly no rainbow staircases or heavenly rays of light shining down on them.

The problem hit her in the face. Quite literally. Gar had flung the Mega Ring, aiming for the back of her head, turning her cap sideways. Mairin staggered for a moment, then saw her Mega Ring glittering, its obsidian black still sleek and clear, and the Key Stone safely nestled inside of it. She picked it up, tentatively, and straightened out her hat. "I told you to give it back, didn't I?"

Gar shook its head, and Mairin tried to recall back to ever ordering Gar to give the Mega Ring back to her. It had slipped off her wrist when she fell, and she never received it back. When she failed to do so, she sighed and slipped it on before slamming her hand quite hard against the stone pillar. Steven raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

This time, both of the Key Stones reacted in a magnificent display of light, energy shooting every which way and rays of light radiating from the crystalline stones. Before they knew it, a rainbow staircase was stacking itself, building up to a higher clifftop. A ray of heavenly light shone down upon the four of them, and with another flash of light the staircase was completed.

Mairin raised her hand, then patted it to her chest. "Called it." She was hoping none of them would argue with her on when she did call it, but all she received was a frown from Alain. Looking up to where they were headed, there was no way that it would have been accessible, even with the most able-bodied of the flying-types. Well, maybe a copter. Everything was always possible with a copter.

Mairin took her time ascending the steps. She most certainly didn't want to fall, even with some reassurance that Gar might be able to catch her. There were no railings on this staircase (it's made of light; what do you expect?) which along with scaring Mairin, also diminished her appetite for the day. Gar stayed close to her, much to her relief.

Once they reached the top, they found all sorts of crumbled stone buildings, with one giant cylindrical demolished building in the middle. Naturally, it was in the heart of the city of stones, and everyone thought it best for the search for the Giant Rock to begin there.

They struck the jackpot. In the middle of the cylindrical building were two daises. Also made of the same type of stone as the surrounding building, which was built as if there was a cylinder leading up to a dome at the top, the daises sat on either side of a round, five foot deep circle in the middle. The circle in the middle had smaller circles inscribed in it, adding depth to it. Steven knelt down next to the one on the left, looking at a few symbols and characters, which everyone recognized as the traditional Hoennian (A/N: I think that was it; if not, is it Hoennese? What's the adjective form of Hoenn?) language. After reading it a few times, he nodded to Mairin, her having leaned over his shoulder to read the same inscription. She had learned Hoennian in her free time, seeing as how it bore a similar resemblance to Kantonian, Johtonian, and Sinnohan. It was like the central language to them.

She walked over to the other dais, seeing almost the same thing. Both of them didn't want to say it out loud, seeing that Lysandre and the 'impressionable youth' (read: Alain) was present. "Steven, I think this requires our Key Stones again."

Mairin was smarter this time, and was able to pop her Key Stone out of her Mega Ring, making its familiar warmth and hum die down into a cold, black piece of metal. She touched it to the circular sculpture on top of the dais, as did Steven. Immediately, their Key Stones began to flash, and the same thing happened again as it did when both of their Key Stones reacted to the pillars, minus the rainbow staircase. The bottom of the circular inscription opened up, and a pink object began to rise. At first, it looked like glass, but it took more of the form of a rose crystal quartz. The stone was gigantic - no wonder that everyone called it the 'Giant Rock'. The sheer size of it was enough to make Mairin and Gar gawk.

"Amazing…" breathed Steven.

Lysandre smiled. "I'm having a team analyze it. They are coming as we speak." At this, Steven nodded, in an act of thankfulness.

Before long, a copter landed outside the cylindrical building - much to Mairin's surprise. However, she felt somewhat satisfied seeing the copter land, knowing that her gut was right - anything was possible with a copter. She was going to yell out, "CALLED IT!" but was stopped as scientists she recognized from the labs rushed past her, carrying suitcases, lab equipment, computers, and other things she had no clue existed.

Fingers flew across keyboards, and soon enough a holographic image of the Giant Rock and its properties popped up. A rainbow spectrum with no absorption lines indicated the energy the Giant Rock was giving off, and its faint radiative light. According to the data they had collected on the Giant Rock so far, it seemed to be very dense - and hot. Mairin didn't know half of the terms that were going in one ear and out the other, and so she turned away from the monitor. She knew how to read basic graphs, but she didn't know how to track multiple aspects of the Giant Rock and record them all at once.

Mairin popped her Key Stone back into the Mega Ring, not wanting it to get lost. As she did so, almost too synchronized to be a coincidence, the sky darkened. Clouds covered the bright day - even when they were supposed to be above the clouds.

Then a slender, green shape slithered from above the clouds.

-Steven-

Rayquaza.

The stuff of legends - even though he was witnessing it with his own two eyes. It wasn't as massive as the legends were describing it as, seemingly barely over thirty feet long. However, it looked angry. Very angry.

Steven had his fair share of angry Pokemon - while almost never his own Metagross, other Pokemon he had certainly acted up sometimes. For one, his Aggron absolutely hated digging, and would refuse to help Steven when he needed a Pokemon to break open stones or help to tunnel through a cave. Aggron was fierce and adamant. It took him three weeks to help Aggron over its hurdle of hate for digging, but this?

Rayquaza didn't seem just angry - it seemed _outraged_. Not at some pet peeve, or unfounded hate - it was a pure state of fury. At what? Steven had a feeling he knew, but it gave him such a twist in the stomach, like a knife turning over, that he shook that thought away.

It screeched a terrible sound, rivaling that of a Hyper Voice. For all Steven knew, it _was_ a Hyper Voice. The Dragon-type flew in circles, then spiraled down to the Giant Rock. Its green shape contrasted against the crackling lightning and dark storm clouds. Yellow pupils larger than a human head flickered against the black void of its sclera. Once it reached the Giant Rock, it pulled back up sharply in a 'v' shape. Steven wondered at the meaning of this, but then found long, shining strands and rays of light encircling its body and entwining its head. The light engulfed the entire legendary Pokemon.

Flying up, it embraced the light and released the energy all at once. When it became safe for everyone to see, it seemed as if the world stopped.

Steven should have known that if one rule applies to one Pokemon, then there was a chance of it applying to another. If many Pokemon had one rule applied to them, the chances of it happening to a Legendary were a good possibility - not probable, but still a good chance. Rayquaza had long strands of white-hot energy flowing from its head fins, and black markings left over from the excess Mega Evolution energy were left all over its body, making a sort of battle paint. With any other Pokemon, it would have been funny, cute, even interesting. But on Rayquaza? It looked awesome, in the sense of absolute terror.

Rayquaza had Mega Evolved, but without the help of a human.

Again it roared, this time resembling the cry of the Unovan Pokemon Reshiram. "It's angry," stated Steven matter-of-factly.

They all didn't know how bad it was until a Flamethrower scorched a computer, engulfing the scientist with it and leaving him burnt. "Medic!" called Lysandre, before facing the Legendary Pokemon before them.

Steven swore under his breath - he should have known that Rayquaza or some other powerful Pokemon was bound to appear near the Giant Rock, due to how much energy, an unfathomable amount, it was supposed to have. However, that wasn't the problem. Facing Legendaries down had happened before in his lifetime, stopping a crisis involving Groudon and Kyogre. They had only recently gone back to sleep, so everything was still uneasy around the Hoenn region. The problem was that he only brought one Pokemon, his Metagross. While it could Mega Evolve, it helped to have multiple Pokemon fighting at once.

"Go! Gar!" It seemed like Mairin had the same idea, releasing her Garchomp. Her Garchomp roared, then realized that the threat was not in front of it like a normal battle, but up in the air. Immediately, it folded itself up while Mairin Mega Evolved it, transforming it into Mega Garchomp halfway through the sky to Rayquaza.

Steven threw his Pokeball up into the air too. "You help them out, Metagross!" He released the genderless Pokemon, thudding to the ground. Taking his Key Stone, Steven Mega Evolved it as fast as he could to have it take into the sky and follow Garchomp. Even a Mega Garchomp had a weakness to Rayquaza, and could easily be shot out of the sky.

Alain was about to have Charizard help them, but a quick shake of the head from Mairin told him it would be better not to. Steven was too busy commanding Metagross all over the place as Rayquaza recognized the two pseudo-legendaries before it.

Rayquaza used an Ice Beam to keep pesky Garchomp away, even though it was zipping through the air crazily, easily avoiding the attack. Then it used a Fire Blast on Metagross, which struck. However, Metagross was trained not to give up flying after one simple attack, and shrugged the super-effective attack off like no big deal. When Rayquaza saw this, it narrowed its eyes. It flew up into the air, leaving everyone to wonder where it was going.

"Is it over?" asked Mairin, disappointed yet relieved that the battle was over quickly.

Steven's eyes widened. The signature move of Rayquaza. "Metagross! Use Protect, get in front of Garchomp!" Metagross nodded in compliance, and swiftly projected the green barrier. It dashed in front of Garchomp just in time as the green and black blur of Rayquaza slammed into the barrier, pushing both Pokemon back with just the sheer force of the attack. Mairin went white at this.

"Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza's signature move," Steven explained hastily. "If this Pokemon is true just like the legends, then its power is also probably true. Metagross, use Ice Punch!"

The Ice-type attack was learned before as a precaution against Dragon-types. However, he had sacrificed Agility to do so, hoping that Mega Metagross would keep up in its speedier form. Steven thought both would come in much use against Rayquaza, but now was not the time for regrets.

"Gar, use Dragon Pulse!" Mairin commanded. However, it was countered by a Dragon Pulse of Rayquaza's easily overpowering the weaker. Mairin froze, but then balled her fists. "It's okay, Gar! Use Sandstorm!" Garchomp roared, stomping up dust and scattering sand. Eventually, there was a torrent of sand going, like a twister that Rayquaza was continuously getting hit by. Steven smirked at the strategy used - Mega Garchomp's ability was Sand Force, which powered up moves involving the earth and metal. Metagross seemed unaffected by it, being a Steel-type.

"Stone Edge!" yelled Mairin, and Garchomp hurled rocks at Rayquaza, causing damage - while not devastating, still hurt it. Metagross helped with a Flash Cannon. However, Rayquaza knocked them back with an Extreme Speed and avoided the Flash Cannon, making both redirect back to their senders. Garchomp and Metagross fell out of the sky.

"Psychic, Metagross! Catch Garchomp!" Metagross began concentrating again, and gently lowered Garchomp to the ground.

Rayquaza seemed to have enough of the back-and-forth play and rose into the air again. "That's another Dragon Ascent?" asked Mairin, panicked for Garchomp. Steven watched the Ekans-like Pokemon move, then roar up to the sky.

"That's not a Dragon Ascent," muttered Steven. When blue fires rained down, he yelled, "That's a Draco Meteor!"

"Take cover!" said Lysandre, and everyone immediately scattered.

Steven ran over to where Metagross was, unaware that it was directly below Rayquaza. "Metagross, are you okay?" When Metagross started to glow, Steven saw that it was reverting to its original form. It was barely hanging on to the last of its strength.

It projected a Light Screen above the two of them just as the Draco Meteor collapsed the building.

A/N: Geez, that took a long time to get out. Also, it's good exercise writing from Steven's point of view, even though I don't really like it. That was just a practice, I'll probably do it later.

ok bye


	6. Chapter 6 -- Legendaries and Champions

-Alain-

When Alain could open his eyes, he started to look around. All that he could see was darkness. He put up his hands to feel his way, and felt the stone bricks and their remains scattered around, huge chunks restricting his movement. A large piece was trapping his lower legs, and while he reasoned that he could lift it up and slip his legs out, he would rather not risk bringing down the debris on top of him.

His hand immediately went to his team, stored carefully on a belt by his waist. Pupitar, Weavile, Pidove, Pawniard…

Charizard.

His blood turned to ice as he realized the Fire-Type was nowhere to be seen (which he should have noticed once he came to). He could only hope that it escaped the rubble. A few cracks in the stone showed lights that filtered through, however dim.

Alain tried to think back to what happened after Rayquaza had sent the Draco Meteor into the sky.

"_Take cover!" Lysandre had yelled, and everyone went every which way. Alain had been watching the battle tentatively, unsure which side would win. Mairin rushed past him, motioning for him to run as well. They ran out of the building, but a Draco Meteor had sent them flying. It had crashed into the side of the monument, slamming Mairin sideways into it before the stone crumbled down onto her. Charizard swooped down with a Dragon Claw to tear her out before she got seriously injured._

_Alain rushed towards Mairin to check if she was okay. However, the stone was still crumbling. He was tackled sideways by Gar, narrowly missing the falling stones. "Thank you so much, Garchomp," said Alain. Gar carried him out of the danger zone, by the little claws on its arms._

_The two landed right where the rainbow staircase was ending. Before their eyes, the entire cylindrical building collapsed in on itself, with people still inside. "What about Mairin?!" asked Alain, and darted off to where she and Charizard were last. However, all that he saw were a pile of rocks._

"_Alain, away from the building!" yelled a voice from behind, and he turned around to see Mairin and Charizard. Garchomp was lingering by them for some reason. "It's unstable!"_

_Alain tried to make his way back, and nearly succeeded had it not been for one of the huge rocks from Gar's dying Sandstorm that hit the edge of the crumbling dome, sending rocks down to him._

He tasted blood in his mouth before abruptly spitting it out. Basically, he ran away from the destruction only to return to it and make a dumb move, getting him trapped. How meaningful. Checking his Pokeballs again, he sighed. Charizard was probably trying to get through to him, but judging from the little light filtering in, he was buried deep. Alain contemplating letting out Weavile to Night Slash the rubble away, but decided against it. While Weavile could probably survive more stones hurtling down onto it, a human like he would most likely not.

A Dragon Claw tore through the rocks above him, and Alain looked up to see Charizard peering through a crack in the rocks. "We're not far from the surface. Weavile, Night Slash!"

The Dark-type was released, and immediately jumped up with the STAB attack. It easily tore through what remained of the ruins, and Alain was met with a bright flash of light, which quickly died down into the harsh sunlight, unobstructed by clouds.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," Mairin said as she smiled, before it quickly rearranged itself into a worried expression. "You _are_ in one piece, right?"

Alain pulled his legs out from the stone that was crushing them, but a burning sensation of pain followed by a sharp inhale was all that Mairin needed to be told. She tore the stone off of him and tugged his pant sleeve up, revealing a bloody gash that had torn through his clothes. Cursing, she found her bag and started rummaging around. "I'm going to put an Antidote on it, to disinfect, then Potion it as quickly as possible." While those healing items were designed for Pokemon use, they were useful for humans in a pinch.

The stinging droplets of the Antidote were painful, but it was better than possibly having to amputate the leg. Alain quickly found the use of the Potion to be very effective, the pain going away almost immediately. His hand brushed the Pokeballs by his side, and decided that none of them could help him up, really. Bisharp was the only one close to his size, and he didn't want to be impaled by its sharp blades, no offense to it. Charizard was his only option, but where had its Pokeball gone?

That question was answered as Mairin threw said Pokeball at him, before turning to him smiling. "There's Charizard's Pokeball. Next time, attach it properly." Alain simply nodded. Charizard lumbered over, taking great care not to step on its frail trainer. It turned its back to Alain, motioning for him to climb on. He did so, and thus was carried around like that for a while - at least, until they were able to make a makeshift crutch for until they found out if his ankle was sprained or not and if he _could_ walk on it. Just for the record, probably not.

After getting themselves settled and eating a few berries ("Again?!" Mairin had asked) they saw Steven walking out of the building, worried but eerily calm in a way. He turned once he saw them, and started to run over to where they were. "Are you okay?"

Alain shrugged, not wanting to concern Steven with his own problem. After all, it wasn't too bad. However, Mairin had thought otherwise. "I'm okay, but _Alain_ went ahead and did something to his leg. We're gonna go to the nearest Pokemon Center."

Steven nodded, and sighed a breath of relief. "They airlifted the scientists to the hospital, can't afford to lose time. Metagross, thank Arceus, was able to shield the two of us from Rayquaza with a Light Screen, I believe, or some weird Protect."

Alain recalled his Weavile, then shifted himself so he could see the Hoenn Champion. He didn't look much better than Mairin, his hair all shaken up and a few bruises on his face from the brief battle with the Legendary. His usually clean and solid-color suit was now scraped, torn and dusty. Well, he himself wasn't much better. The scarf he had that resembled an Altaria was dirty - he wasn't wearing that for a while. His jacket took most of the damage, but the undershirt went mostly undamaged. Of course, his leg's gash caused blood to seep through. Both of them probably had to get new clothes.

"We'd better start going," said Steven. "I know where the Giant Rock will most likely be next."

Alain had Charizard follow him, and the two descended the rainbow steps, which for some reason didn't disintegrate. Were they there for all time now? He didn't know the answer to that, but the answer was hopefully no. Nobody should've come up and made the Sky High Pokemon angry, even if it were to further research on Mega Evolution. Somebody could have _died_, for the love of-

Granted, he was a bit on edge for being trapped under rocks for a while. His thinking probably wasn't as rational as it should have been.

Mairin and Gar caught up after they had completely descended, and the three of them started to travel to the west. "Rustboro City," said Steven. "That's where we need to go."

"Isn't that your hometown?" asked Mairin. "You were born there, right?"

"Yes, in fact. My father runs the Devon Corporation." Now, they were completely on the route's rocky path, leading to the misty hills from before that they had to ascend to get to a Pokemon Center close by. Not all of them had Pokemon who could fly, and Alain didn't know the region well enough for him alone to go on ahead.

Steven ran a hand through his hair. "So, Alain, I can't just give the directions for you to follow?"

Alain shook his head. "I can have explicit directions laid out for me on a map, Holo-Caster, Pokenav, and whatnot, and somehow _still_ miss the point." As everyone probably knew by now, he was horrible with directions, and usually let Mairin take the lead when adventuring.

Steven laughed, as did Mairin. It was her quote that Alain just recited, as he took a liking to how articulate Mairin had been when they were traveling and talking together. Mairin stopped abruptly and started whacking her hat against a tree, waiting for the dust to come off, before continuing. "That's true, Steven. One time, I asked him to pick up a few Potions from the PokeMart and he came back with berries."

"T-that's a false story! I don't know what you're talking about!" snapped Alain playfully, as the story had truth in it.

The three exchanged stories along the way, Steven talking about his adventures through Hoenn and battles with scattered organizations planning to capture Legendary Pokemon, and two kids from Littleroot helping him along the way - though they were probably doing most of the work right now. Mairin was talking about her most recent encounters with Mega-Evolved Pokemon, besides Rayquaza. Alain and Mairin had seen Mega Aggron, Mega Pinsir, Mega Ampharos, and Mega Absol in the past few weeks.

-Mairin-

Soon enough, they arrived at a secluded Pokemon Center, where doctors took care of Alain. Mairin and Steven handed over their Pokemon to Nurse Joy, and sat down on one of the waiting couches.

After a while, Mairin tried to break the awkward silence between the two of them. "How did you become Champion?" she asked.

Steven closed his eyes, putting one arm behind his head as he leaned back onto the back rest of the couch across from her. "Well, see, Champion is like a title. I've earned it two times."

Mairin leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees and palms supporting her head. "Tell me more."

"I first had to defeat the Champion to earn the title. He's now part of the Elite Four. Then my friend Wallace took over as Champion, but I gained the title back. It's sort of a back-and-forth battle, and it's pretty fun. But 'once a Champion, always a Champion' I guess. Tell me, Mairin. You're strong. Do you aim to be the Kalosian Champion?"

Mairin bit her lip - she had gone over this before, but with Professor Sycamore. "I don't aim to be Champion. Sure, there are good luxuries and fame and riches that come with it, but I honestly don't think I'd make a good one. After all, paperwork and responsibility has never been my thing - go ask Gar, even. Plus, I'm not even old enough to start driving, I wouldn't think of driving an entire region. I want to see the world of Mega Evolution, and discover things along the way."

Steven had leaned forward as well, intent on listening to Mairin. However, upon hearing her final sentence, he seemingly recoiled. Seeing the shock in Mairin's face led him to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just didn't expect that answer. So many people want to strive to become like Diantha, or Cynthia, or Alder…"

"Or _you_," Mairin muttered.

"But it's been a long time since I heard something like that. You're never _too_ young to become Champion."

Mairin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"See, I became Champion when I was fifteen - couldn't even Surf properly yet without having to swim a bit."

"_Fifteen?!_" echoed Mairin. "Not even when Mega Stones became the hype!"

"Of course, I had to defend my position a lot - nobody really wanted the region to be partially governed by a kid, even though that kid might have famous parents," said Steven. "Then what do you know, Wallace took it. Then I took it back, and I'm here now."

A silence fell over the two strong Trainers again, before Alain walked over. "Alright, doctor said it's just scratched badly, nothing sprained or anything."

"Nice," Mairin said. "I have more trouble navigating stairs than you do getting crushed by boulders."

Steven was at the PC already, tapping a few buttons before receiving a few Pokeballs. "Alright, I have Skarmory. Alain?"

"Charizard. It likes Mairin a lot, so I might have to ride with her."

Mairin cleared her throat. "Actually, I was thinking of going on a detour. We'll fly to Fiery Path, then meet you there."

"Do we have _time_, though?" asked Steven. "We sort of have a crisis on our hands." However, upon seeing the Fire-type being let out of its Pokeball, understanding dawned across his face. "_Oh._ Make it quick, we can't afford to lose any time. I'm counting on you to get it, Mairin."

Mairin cringed - that sounded so much like Lysandre. Despite that, she nodded. "Okay. I'll see you at Rustboro. I have a Holo-Caster, do you?"

"Courtesy of Lysandre, though I may be more responsive on the Pokenav."

"Got it. Registered you."

"See you soon."

Skarmory, which Steven had let out, took off. Charizard, Alain and Mairin were left inside the Center, a few yards away from the door. Mairin turned to Alain, smiling. "I know this is a bit untimely, but would you like to go Mega Stone hunting?"


End file.
